Arkansas Lottery To Seek Police Powers
by May 22, 2012 9:22 am 106 views
On Monday, the Arkansas Lottery Commission renewed a request to seek police powers for the lottery program.
Commissioners want lottery personnel to have the authority, but it must gain legislative approval. In 2010, state lawmakers rejected the effort.
More from our content partner, the Arkansas News Bureau:
The commission voted to authorize Lottery Director Bishop Woosley to inform the Legislature’s lottery oversight committee of the program’s interest in obtaining certification for lottery personnel as law enforcement officers.
Woosley said no specific proposal had been drafted, but he wanted the panel’s approval to talk about the idea to lawmakers in advance of next year’s legislative session.
“I think it would probably be similar to what our other state agencies (such as the Forest
ry Commission and the Game and Fish Commission) have, which are to issue warrants or subpoenas and do investigations and obtain records and things of that nature, which may include arrests,” he said.
Investigations would be conducted by the lottery’s four-person security staff, and results of investigations would be turned over to prosecutors, Woosley said. He said it would not be necessary to hire additional personnel.
Giving the lottery police powers would be beneficial, Woosley said, because local police departments are often understaffed and not fully aware of how the lottery operates.
You can read more at this link.